Pages

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Hi there. Do you ever have a moment and know that you will turn it into a memory to savor? If you are a memory keeper/scrapbooker like I am, then maybe you know what I am talking about. If not, well, I'm about to share with you why I do what I do, and why I keep doing it. In fact, this is the topic of today's article on the Get It Scrapped blog.

My son has special needs. For the first time in his life, he and I took an unassisted walk together. It was a spontaneous moment, and one that I am so happy to have captured. (thank you trusty cell phone). There was no wheelchair or walker, just he and I holding hands walking. It's something other people do everyday, but it was a momentous occasion for us.

I continue to scrapbook because I like to see the progress my son has made throughout his life. From year to year I can see not only how he has developed, but also how his interests have changed, or in many cases, stayed the same. I am not an epic storyteller, but a few sentences with photos remind me of where he was, how far he has come, and sometimes my feelings get written in there too.

Having a child with special needs means extra care and time for him. That also means I need extra time and care for myself. Scrapbooking allows me that time to replenish and rejuvenate myself. It's a huge stress reducer for me.

I took a simple approach to this page. I had seen a LO created by one of my favorite designers. I lifted and adapted it to suit my needs. There is hardly anything on it, but what is there, has meaning and purpose. The paper and embellishments lend themselves to warm feelings. The photo and words stand out, which is the intention.

As always, thanks for taking a look at my creative view today. Come back again soon, I've got lots to share.

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Good morning. This is round two today. A new sketch is up on the Stuck?! Sketches blog and it'a great one!

If you play along you have a chance to win some prizes offered by these generous sponsors.

1 piece of chipboard of winners choice

$25 gift certificate

I'm all about layering right now. It's something I'm trying to master so this sketch really appealed to me. I flipped the sketch because my photo is facing left. I used several papers to create my layers. I omitted the circular elements in favor of some generic embellishments. No flowers for this page, but the gears played nicely into the building theme.

School projects can be boring and mundane. It's been neat to see how they've changed since I was in school. I had never heard of the "Toothpick Tower" project. Apparently, it needed to be but to hold 100lbs, which it did. I want tell you how many sticks of hot glue or toothpicks he went through, but it was fun to watch him build it.

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. Stop by again soon, I've always got more to share.

Hi there! I have a page to share for today's Picture This reveal. The challenge elements are:

1 PHOTO + GREEN + FLOWER CLUSTER + BUTTERFLY

I went for a very pink and feminine page, and I had a lot of fun creating it. This photo has been sitting in my pile for a while. These elements seemed to be the right ones to put this page together. I used several patterned papers to matte the photo. Then I cut the flowers and a few of the leaves on the Silhouette. Using them to frame the photo diagonally, draws focus to them as well as the photo. I liked being able to plant the butterfly right into the flower cluster.

Tulips. I love them. Being able to see them growing and blooming in their natural environment is breathtaking. Cliche? Maybe. But true. I sat down in the middle of a field and admired their beauty. Beside the beach, I can't imagine anywhere else I can call my happy place.

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. I always have more to share, so come back again soon. Sadly, this will be the last reveal for Picture This The blog will close at the end of the month.

Monday, December 14, 2015

Well hello! It's been a while since I've had time to play. I mean play just for me, just for fun. I guess it's that time of year. Anyway, I took some inspiration from a couple of my favorite places, Scrap Our Stash and Paper Issues Sketchy Saturday.

I adapted the sketch to two larger photos instead of the smaller 3. I left the rest pretty much the same. All of the elements chosen make up the DIE CUTS requirements. Die cuts, ink, enable dots, chevron, UmWow Studio (arrows), Triangles, Stars, Simple Stories

My son goes through phases, only we call it the toy of the moment. We never know what it's going to be or how long it's going to last. Let's just day the Brown Bear phase lasted so long, I could recite the book by heart. It still makes frequent appearances.

I'm so glad you stopped by my creative view today. Come back again soon, I have a lot going on this week.

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Well, a fine Tuesday morning to you. I know we all wish we could scrap faster. Today's Get It Scrapped article, gives some tips on speeding up scrapbooking with Product Shortcuts.

I find using product from the same collection really helps speed up my scrapbooking process. All of the colors, patterns and embellishments have been designed to work together. With that part of the decision making process done for me, I just select the pieces that best support my story and my page comes together quickly. For this page I used a summer collection. The colors and motif were exactly what I was looking for to help tell my story.

My story is this: After a reluctant start to a walk by the beach, my son took off on his own. I followed him as he explored.

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. I hope you've enjoyed my product shortcut. Head over to Get It Scrapped blog to learn more product shortcuts from other team members.

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Welcome to the Lets Get Sketchy/Picture This “My One Word” Blog Hop. You should have come from Jesse‘s blog. If you have landed here by accident and want to play along then you can head back to the Let's Get Sketchy site to start at the beginning and to start collecting your challenge words. All of the directions are there, which will help you make sense of how this works. These words should be bold on each Design Team member’s blog.

The word I chose for my project is "SILLY" I have these photos of my children with my sister, their favorite Aunt. She loves to bring them fun gifts. These hats were a huge hit and had us all in fits of giggles for days. I chose a simple design with bright animal print paper. The page is happy and light, perfect for the photos.

I'm the last stop on the Blog Hop today, so from here, head back to the Let's Get Sketchy bIog

and follow the directions there. Don’t forget, each team member has a word hidden someone on their page that forms a great quote so make sure you grab all the words for your chance at an extra prize!

My word(s) is ART IS.

Remember to play along in our hop challenge to win the wonderful prize from our sponsor, Creative Embellishments! If you get lost along the way, head on back over to Let’s Get Sketchy for the line up!

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Good morning. Poof! It's December! Wow! Where did the year go? No, I'm not going to get reflective right now. I'm here to share today's reveal at Stuck?! Sketches. Here is the first sketch of the month.

Here is what I did with it. I stayed pretty true to the sketch this time. I like the clean lines, and this design worked well with the photos and papers I chose. I did use larger photos, so I adjusted the paper sizes a little to fit them better.

My son is so funny. Whenever we go visit family he always chooses someone randomly who becomes his "person of choice" for the day. He gets as close to them as he can, and yes that can include sitting on laps. Well, one day it was his Aunt, another day his Grammy. He certainly knows how to get attention!

I hope to see you playing along with us this month at Stuck?! Sketches. We have some wonderful sponsors offering great prizes.

A $20 GC

A $25 GC

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. I've always got lots to share,m so come back again soon.

Hey there! Welcome to December and out first challenge for the month at Picture This. Here are the challenge details:

3 PHOTOS +FRAME + CHRISTMAS COLORS + CHRISTMAS TREE

Ok then. This was hard for me. Mostly because I didn't grow up celebrating Christmas. So, Christmas Tree photos are not in abundance in my photo library. I actually had permission for this assignment to use any tree, but while I was digging through photos, I found these gems. This was our first Christmas together, my first time picking out a tree, and first time decorating it. I really did laugh when told I had to water the tree. What? I said? It's already dead!

Since the photos were the hard part, the rest was easy after that. I grabbed a few red and green paper scraps and the ONE Christmas themed sticker sheet I had. (It's a good thing I saved it from that warehouse box I got last year). So I went all out on the Christmasy colors and theme for this page. It was fun because it's not my norm. I really like that the kraft paper gives it an even more traditional feel. The cork frames play into that as well.

Thanks for taking a look at my creative view today. I've go more to share, so stop by again soon.

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Hey Hey! It's release day for the new Scrapbook Generation CREATE eMag! I'm pleased to share the two, yes TWO layouts that are in the Reader Gallery.

This first one is a two page layout of my husband and I at a Cubs game in 2005. This was not just any Cubs game, it was Ryne Sandberg's jersey retirement game. He is my favorite Cubs player. One of my children's middle name is Ryne. Really.

I adjusted the sketch to suit my photos, but the original design is there. I used a combination of a Doodlebug 4th of July and a baseball product collection.

Now for the single page layout. Every year that I have created a Halloween page, I have always titled the page "X meets Y". I don't know why, it just seems to work for me. Maybe it's because the characters they were dressed as were so out of context form one another. Anyway, Buzz and Harry got together this year and allowed me to create this bright and colorful traditional Halloween page. Again, I stuck to the original design of the page, but added a few extra layers of paper as well as the web behind the photos.

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. It's going to be a busy week around here. I'm very happy to day that. It's been a while. Come back and check out what's new.

Eeeek! I finally can share this page!!! I have had so much fun crating the last few weeks. Some for myself, some for gifts, and some for assignments. This one falls under assignments for Get It Scrapped. Today's blog article is discussing what you do when you have no mojo.

This topic came at a great time for me. I had not had consistent time to craft and felt like my mojo was out of sync. When this happens, I turn to sketches. Page design has always been a stumbling block for me. Using a sketch gives me a starting point. I find my sketches from several challenge blogs I follow, then Pin them to my Pinterest boards. My boards are set up by number of photos on the sketch, so it is easy for me to find a sketch that inspires me, as well as it being appropriate to the photos I have ready. The other thing that helps wit mojo, is inspiring product. I was giddy over this Doodlebug Design baseball collection and used it on several projects last month.

The sketch I used for this page is from Sketch Savvy. I flipped it on it's side, and reversed it in order for it to work with my photo. I liked the design in combination with the photo and the product I chose. The papers are boldly colored and printed. The blocked design enabled me to used several prints without overwhelming the photo, and the page as a whole.

The Cubs were in the playoffs this year. We found a Cubs family photo from the last time they were in the playoffs in 2007, and decided it was time for a new one.If you know me, you know I love baseball. I live for baseball season. I also love the Chicago Cubs, and have since I was 16 years old. It is a BIG DEAL when they are in the playoffs. So we have to make the most of every game.Thanks for taking a look at my creative view today. Come back again soon, I have lots to share.Supplies: Cardstock-The Paper Company, Patterned Paper, stickers, twine, die cuts, enamel pieces and Alphas-Doodlebug Design, adhesive-CosmoCricket, EKSuccess, pen-EK Success.

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Good Morning! It's mid November which means time for new challenge reveals. First up is the new sketch at Stuck?! Sketches. Once again, our co-challenge this month is with Scrap It With a Song. Their inspiration song is Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin. Without further ado, here is the new sketch:

Here is my page. I love this sketch and everything that can be done with it. I wasn't feeling the circle, so I replaced it with a 4x6 photo instead. Because I chose busy patterns in my papers, I left the edges blunt, but I added banner shaped stickers to add interest. I oversized the embellishment clusters, well, just because.

My song inspiration comes from the very first line of the song: "There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold". I used gold glitter, and a photo of my Grandma, who always wore gold. I'm pretty sure this is the last photo of us together. Im not sure the is what I had in mind for this photo, but my Grandma took pride in her appearance, always wore jewelry, and taught me to be the same way. So maybe the gold, and flowers and femininity of the page is just right after all.

There are two great sponsors for this challenge. Please read the rules on the Stuck?! Sketches blog:

A $15 GC is up for grabs. If yu haven't played with Freckled Fawn goodies, you will love what you find there.

A $20 GC to get yourself some more embellishing goodies

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. I've got more to share, some check back again soon.

Well Hello, hello and welcome to the mid month challenge reveal at Picture This. For this next challenge, we are asking you to use:

1 PHOTO +CARDSTOCK+GOLD

Sounds good to me! So why did I have such a hard time with this? Because I had too much to choose from that's why. I chose this photo a while ago, but got stuck on how I wanted to scrap it. Then along came another challenge, from Paper Issues. I put the two together and voila. A cardstock base, one great photo, and lots of gold...alphas, thinkers and transparencies.

I have finally found myself with a good group of friends. We get together regularly for brunch. One one such occasion, we talked about what we could call ourselves. The title of this page is essentially what we came up with. A combination of several movies about women all rolled into one.

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. I've got lots of new things to share, so come back again soon.

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Hey there! My promise to post regularly still isn't happening. Since it's November, can I blame it on the season? Anyway, I am sharing a page that I created for today's Get It Scrapped blog article, Ideas for Photo Short Cuts to Make your Scrapping Faster.On our way to the park, my son couldn't decide which direction he wanted to go. He kept turning around, looking at everything around him. He wound up standing backwards in his walker. He didnt want to miss anything!

I knew I would scrapbook this photo as I was taking it. To speed up my process, I printed it at home, then put it in an envelope with notes about the photo. These notes included a possible title, and ideas for the design, which in this case included arrows. When it was time to work on this page, these notes led me to the product that supports the story and design. I chose a travel themed collection, but again, I used the embellishments to create some humor. I over emphasized use of the arrows, but they really show the true meaning of the story behind this photo. The page came together in under an hour.

Try this tip or head to the Get It Scrapped blog to see how some of the other team members speed up their process.Not only are the ideas fantastic, so are their layouts.

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. I have so much more to share, it's just making the time to write and post. I'm trying!

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Good morning! Wow. November. This year has flown by. Well, a new month means new challenges. First up is Picture This. Today we are asking you to use:

Die Cuts, scraps, buttons and your choice of photos

Sometimes I forget that I have cool paper that I love in my scrap bin. I went digging and came up with some basic shapes in primary colors for this page. The photos were taken on a phone, but several years ago. They aren't great. Keeping it simple was the way to go here. I layered up some of the papers, then used the washi at the top that has all the colors I used to tie everything together. I added circles in the flair button and die cut to soften the lines the page. A sprinkling of bits down the page helped create some balance.

This kiddo and his books. Once he began to read he never stopped. There was a Barnes and Noble so close to our house. Most Saturdays, he and his Dad would go on Special Outings together. This usually included the book store. It wasn't a matter of getting a book, it was always "how many can I get"? Then the agonizing decision of which one(s) to get. Our feeling were, if he wants to read, get him a book. We still feel that way.

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. I know I've not been consistent here lately. I think things have calmed down around here. You will see lots more going on this month.

Hey there and welcome to November. Yes, November. I'm shaking my head too. Well, It's time for my second reveal of the day. This one is for Stuck?! Sketches. We have teamed up this month with Scrap It With A Song. If you use our sketch and inspiration from their song, you can enter your project on both challenge blogs. The song is Octopus' Garden by The Beatles. You can use the title or lyrics as inspiration. Here is our sketch:

Here is my page using the sketch and Octopus' Garden as inspiration. I used 2 photos, but changed their size. I used several patterns, so I opted to keep the edges straight and not create the flagged edges. To balance the page, I also flipped the placement of the title and journaling.

My sister and I were at the Paul McCartney concert in Los Angeles last summer. The photo of us is a selfie, and the second photo is the set list, which included many old Beatles favorites. How is this related to Octopus' Garden? Well, Sir Paul was in The Beatles, and Octopus' Garden is a Beatles song. A stretch? Yes, but pretty relatable just the same.

That's it for today. Join us at Stuck?! Sketches for this challenge and your chance to win a prize provided by our generous sponsors.

is offering a group assorted embellishments

is also offering a group of assorted embellies

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. I'm off to a good start this month. I hope to keep it up.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

So if you know me, you know how much I love baseball. I wholeheartedly believe that life begins on opening day. Well, it's October now, which means we are in the midst of the playoffs. Being a Cubs fan, that usually means nothing. But this year, they are IN! Thanks to social media, there are some great hostages surrounding the team. #FlyTheW seems to have caught on the most. Yes, I own a W flag and display it proudly after they win (when I remember). We took this photo last week after the Cubs downed the Cardinals to make it to the NLCS. I created the page right away, but due to cloudy weather, wasn't able to photo is until yesterday.

I knew Doodlebug had new sports lines coming out, but was told they weren't arriving in stores until November. I was thrilled when I walked into my LSS to find a huge display! I bought all of the baseball, 3 times over, and used it all up!

I'm taking advantage and playing along with Paper Issues Fan-Atic Issue as well as Scraplift Sunday.

Thanks for taking a look at my creative view today. Come back again soon, I always have something to share.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Good morning! It a double post day for me, which means I've had time to play. It's time for the second sketch challenge at Stuck?! Sketches. Before we get to my page, Here is the sketch and our awesome sponsors.

Both Scrapmatts and Lindy's Stamp Gang have offered prizes. You have an opportunity to win 2 chipboard sheets and/or a $25 Gift Certificate. Please check the Stuck?! Sketches blog for rules and more details.

2 chipboard sheets of winner's choice

$25 Gift Certificate

Now, here is my page based on our sketch. If you know me, I'm a rule breaker. So, I wanted to play with the oversize background shape, but still keep the integrity of the sketch. So I did! I cut the oversize award ribbon, but used it more as a title block than background. Covering it up would have defeated the purpose. I definitely changed the shape of the design by using two portrait photos as well. But, as you can see, the rest of the sketch is there.

We were at my son's swim team banquet. Of course as soon as we walked in, I was a stranger to him. Butter he received his certificate, I received that text from him. It made my night. Although he is a teen and wants to distance himself from his parents, he thought enough to share his news and excitement with me in a subtle way. My how technology can work in our favor sometimes. The journaling is a message back to him reminding him to keep feeling what he felt in that moment.

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. Come back again soon, I always have more to share.

Hello! I have here today the newest challenge at Picture This. Are you ready?

2 PHOTOS + POLKA DOTS + FAMILY

Two photos, no problem. Polka dots, also no problem and this page is all about family. I actually ket the polka dots in the background. Literally. It's the red background paper. The banner is also polka dots. I used a bunch of 3x4 cards from a family themed collection to create the quilted matte under the photos. It another nod to the theme of the page. Add some embellishments that also speak to family and the page is complete.

I chose a sketch from Boys Rule Scrapbooking as the design of the page. I used full 4x6 photos so the entire layout design is extended. I love the end result.

I love these photos and will probably scrap them again so I can tell a different story. For now know that these are the last photos of my son and Grandfather together. I look at them with joy and sadness at the same time. For the most part, that's what the journaling says.

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. Come back again soon, I always have more to share.

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Good morning! It's Tuesday, and on the Get It Scrapped blog is a new article in the speed up your scrapping series. Today's topic is creating 2 page layouts using different backgrounds on each side.

I make 2 page layouts often, but I use the same paper background on both sides. This was a good exercise for me. I chose two basic prints, dots and stripes and added some large floral prints, reminiscent of my Grandma's house. I united the two sides by adding strips of the stripe and floral papers to the bottom of the right page. I repeated the colors with embellishments on both pages.

My friends and I got together one afternoon to bake challah. I hadn't done it since I was a little girl. Not only did we have fun, I was reminded how easy it is to do. We've already talked about getting together again this fall for round two.

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. I've been busy creating, but not so busy writing. I have some posts to catch up on. So come back again soon to see what's new.

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Good morning! Today I am sharing a page that is part of today's article on the Get It Scrapped blog : Favorite approaches to creating pages with 4x6 photos.

This is a "go to" design I use when I have a 2 photo page, with one portrait and a landscape photo. By adding a small amount of paper, I create a block. From there I can embellish minimally or boldly. In this case I chose minimally and with choices that reinforce the story.

I have used this design multiple times, and I can tell you, none of the pages look the same. It really is amazing what a few different papers or color scheme make.

These photos were taken on Father's Day. All we wanted was one decent picture, without smirks, or closed eyes and with everyone in the photo. We didn't get any of it, and it's a reminder to myself that this is our family, and sometimes I just have to take what I can get.

Now, on to today's sketch and layout reveal. Here is the sketch. I like it! It's different!

Here is my page. I kept the idea of the sketch, but adjusted the size of the angles. Want to know how the page began? With the small triangle scrap of the pink striped paper. From there I cut more of that paper, then just kept going with more prints and colors from the same collection. I balanced the colors and the size of the prints to make it all work together. I chose these papers because of the game piece die cuts. I was so excited to use them!

While visiting family this summer, we spent an evening playing a game together. My husband really got into it, becoming silly and competitive. In order to win, he started talking to the dice and "channeling them" to roll the right numbers. you know what? It worked! That made the night even funnier, and my husband more competitive!

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today and sharing in my good news. I've got all kinds of these to share, so come back again soon.

Hey there! Wow. October 1st already! I know I keep saying this but where does the time go??? I say that as I have been working on photos from 2010, which doesn't seem that long ago. Anyway, let's get to today's reveal at Picture This Challenges:

3 Photos + Chipboard + Stamps

Three photos are never a problem for me. I have a hard time choosing and editing photos. I grabbed a template from the Get It Scrapped Half and Half Scrapbook Coach lesson for some help in page design. The frame and larger alpha are chipboard. I stamped in the middle of my journaling. I chose some high energy papers and embellishments to help tell the story. I originally was going to stamp on raw chipboard. I got carried away, in a totally different direction, but I am so happy with the way it turned out.

As the journaling reads: This is one of those "oh, look what he can do! Oh crap, look what he can do!" moments. I left the room for a moment and came back to this. He is my ever curious, daredevil, no fear, child. I would have it any other way.

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. Come back again soon, I always have more to share.

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Hey there! I'm up on the Get It Scrapped blog today, sharing a I page I made using pocket page cards on a traditional layout. This arctic le is part of this month's membership eBook class Pocket Page design.

I chose 3x4, 3x3 and a few 1x4 pocket cards from a travel themed collection to create a diverse layered matte for my photos. The cards are placed so there is movement around the whole page. I used a travel themed paper collection, and selected cards with sayings that could be interpreted with a double meaning, giving the page a playful feel.

Portillo's is one of our favorite restaurants in Chicago. When my son found out there was one where we were vacationing, he asked to eat there every meal. We didn't go for every meal, but I hoe the 4 times we did go satisfied his craving for a while. Thanks for taking a look at my creative view today. I always have lots to share so come back again soon. Supplies: Cardstock-American Crafts, Patterned Paper, wood pieces, epoxy stickers-Crate Paper, Alphas-American Crafts, Basic Grey, Glitz Designs, enamel dots-Doodlebug Designs, My Minds Eye, word sticked-Freckled Fawn, twine-Doodlebug Designs. Ink-Ranger, Colorbox, pen-Sakura, adhesive-EK Success

About Me

This is me being crafty. Give me some pretty paper, scissors and glue and I'm a happy girl. I've been paper crafting, (scrapbooking, memory keeping, whatever you want to call it) for over 15 years with no plans to stop.